UN, host UK agree to new dates for COP26 climate summit delayed due to COVID-19

The coronavirus pandemic has forced the United Nations to postpone the climate summit to November 2021 which was earlier scheduled for November this year. Alok Sharma, President of the COP26, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), took to Twitter to announce that an agreement has been reached on the new dates.

The crucial climate summit will start on November 1, 2021, in Glasgow, Britain, and conclude on November 12, 2021. The COP26 official Twitter handle posted that the COP Bureau of the UNFCCC, along with the UK and Italian partners, have agreed on new dates for the summit the UK will continue to work to increase climate action, build resilience and lower emissions.

Read: Britain Proposes Hosting UN Climate Summit In November 2021: Report

Launched COP26 in February

In February, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson launched the 2020 United Nations Climate Change Conference, or COP26, and the 2020 Year of Climate Action at the Science Museum. Johnson said during the launch event that there is no greater responsibility than protecting the planet, and no mission that a Global Britain is prouder to serve.

Johnson, in a statement released by PM office, had said that hosting COP26 is an important opportunity for the UK and nations across the globe to step up in the fight against climate change. He urged everyone to join in pledging net-zero emissions as the UK sets out plans to hit ambitious 2050 net-zero target.

“There can be no greater responsibility than protecting our planet, and no mission that a Global Britain is prouder to serve. 2020 must be the year we turn the tide on global warming– it will be the year when we choose a cleaner, greener future for all,” the statement read.

As a host of the climate summit, the United Kingdom has also decided to bring forward the deadline for banning the sale of new petrol, diesel or hybrid cars by five years to 2035, from the earlier target of 2040. 

Read: UN's COP 26 Climate Summit Postponed Over Coronavirus: UK Govt

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(Image: AP)